Lois Ann Anna Emma DePuew

Lois Ann Anna Emma DePuew, age 83, of Fredericksburg, passed away peacefully on April 8, 2026, at Whispering Willow Assisted Living and Memory Care in Fredericksburg.

No formal services will take place at this time.  A private family burial will be held at a later date.

On April 8, 2026, Lois Ann Anna Emma (Heine) DePuew was greeted at the gates of Heaven by an excited group of family and friends. I imagine the scene like this…Running to greet her was her husband, Joe. They had spent 57 years, 9 months, and 27 days together on this earth and are now spending eternity together. Joe then took her by the hand and led her to the group who were patiently waiting to welcome her home. There were her parents Lorena and Martin Heine, her brother Verlyn Heine, her parents-in-law Lucille and Ed DePuew, sisters-in-law Betty Jean Miller, JoAnn DePuew, and Mona DePuew, brother-in-law Ronnie Miller, and nieces Patricia Jean Miller and Kim M. DePuew. Also in the crowd were her grandparents Emma and William Edeker, and Anna and William Heine, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

Lois was born on October 23, 1942, in Charles City, Iowa. She grew up on a farm in rural Clarksville, Iowa and attended Shady Dell Country School and Clarksville High School. On August 11, 1960, she was united in marriage to Joseph DePuew. Lois attended Young’s School of Beauty in 1960 and started her career working in the beauty shop at the Hotel in Nashua, Iowa working for Clark and Ellen (you will see this name again later) Knight. Lois and Joe eventually built a home at 89 Monroe Street in Nashua including a beauty shop in the back. She owned and ran the Beauty Nook beauty shop until 1991. When they moved to Sioux City, Iowa.

On July 25, 1964, they welcomed their first daughter, Brenda. It was April 17, 1966, when their daughter Ellen (remember I said you would see this name again!) joined the family. Lori, their third daughter, made her appearance on January 3, 1968 (New Year’s Baby at the Waverly hospital). They completed their family on September 20, 1969, with the arrival of their son David.

The DePuew family enjoyed family time which included many different things. They could be found standing around the piano as Lois played and Joe taught the kids to dance the two-step and the waltz. She would sometimes get out her sheet music, and there would be a game of Name That Tune. She loved to play requests and the one that was requested most was Jambalaya! Even before the kids were in school, on Friday nights you could see their car parked in the end zone at the Nashua High School football field for games, or the family could be found in the stands for HS basketball games and wrestling meets. Lois and Joe were always supporting their kids in sports, cheerleading, band, choir, plays, tap dancing, and later in their chosen careers. Vacations to Beaver Dam Lodge in Minnesota and vacations to Howell, Michigan to see life-long friends Tom and Velna Smith (Tom and Joe met serving in the US Army) and family were interspersed with trips ranging from Wyoming to Washington DC and South Dakota to Texas to visit Dan and Darlene Jordan (another Army buddy) and family and many places in between. When they were not on vacation, they would hook up the green Trailblazer camper for weekend get aways many times with neighbors and friends the LaBarge family. Every year the family would drive up to Minneapolis to see the Minnesota Twins. The tickets were always behind Home Plate under the net. Lois took her last trip to see the Twins play in 2024, she was so happy to be in the stands and even remembered what team we wanted to win! After their kids were grown and had moved away, they would take trips to Maryland, England, Japan, Colorado, Texas, North Carolina, California, and South Dakota to see their kids.

Having spoiled their kids with real homemade sauerkraut their whole lives, they eventually had to teach the kids how to make it themselves. They bought a crock for each of their kids and then spent time teaching them the long and tedious process, first shredding, salting, and packing and then three weeks later canning.

In the mid-1970’s Curling came to town. Lois and Joe started curling and it wasn’t long until they got their kids involved as well. They spent many weekends curling even going to Mankato, Minnesota for Bonspiels.

Lois was an avid scrapbooker before scrap booking became a thing. She made scrap books from birth to graduation for each of her children. She did not have all the fancy things there are now, but she had cards, notes, pictures, postcards, and little flyers from vacations.
In the 1980’s she started quilting. She made hand sewn, hand quilted quilts for each of her children when they got married. Each of her grandchildren received a hand sewn, hand quilted quilt at graduation. She worked with each one on color scheme, and milestones they wanted to include and their future schooling and career plans at the time.

When they retired, Lois and Joe moved to Warsaw, Missouri and lived in a cute little house on a lake. Where they relaxed on their huge screened-in porch, or fishing off the dock, or taking their pontoon boat out on the lake, or dancing and socializing with friends at the American Legion.
For their entire marriage, most weekends, Lois and Joe could be found on a dance floor somewhere. They loved to dance and their kids loved to watch them dance. And then there came the time when Mom would get David and Dad would get Brenda, Ellen, or Lori and take them to the dance floor making memories their children carry with them in their hearts.

Lois is survived by Brenda & Ron Cogar, Baltimore, Maryland, Ellen & Anton Goosby, San Antonio, Texas; Their daughter Markie and Jeremy Scott and their sons Carter and Reese, Oklahoma; and their son Anthony Goosby and Rosa Hamilton, Hawaii; Lori Berens, Concord, North Carolina; Her daughter Emily and Spencer Moffitt and their son Cannon, North Carolina; David and Shawna DePuew, Nashua, Iowa; Their daughters Brianna and Matt Bryan and their sons Hudson and Jett, Iowa; Amanda and Ben Tiedt and their sons Beau and Brody, Iowa; Maxine Heine, sister-in-law, Bill and Theresa DePuew, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jerry and Rose DePuew, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Mike and Barb DePuew, brother-in-law and sister-in-law; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband Joe; her parents Martin and Lorenna (Edeker) Heine; her brother Verlyn Heine; her parents-in-law Lucille and Ed DePuew; sisters-in-laws: Betty Jean Miller, JoAnn DePuew, and Mona DePuew; brother-in-law Ronnie Miller; nieces Patricia Jean Miller and Kim M. DePuew; and her grandparents Emma and William Edeker, and Anna and William Heine, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

Hugeback – Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory has been entrusted with arrangements.

(563) 237-6212